Otto Kissenberth (26 February 1893 – 2 August 1919) was a German
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
of World War I credited with 20 aerial victories. He was a prewar
mechanical engineer
Mechanical may refer to:
Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
* Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...
who joined the German air service in 1914. After being trained and after serving as a
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
pilot, he became one of the first German fighter pilots, flying with ''Kampfeinsitzerkommando'' (Combat Single-Seater Command) KEK Einsisheim. He scored six victories with this unit as it morphed into a
fighter squadron
A squadron in air force, army aviation, or naval aviation is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, dependi ...
, ''
Jagdstaffel 16
Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 16 was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I.
History
Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 16 was founded from two ''ad hoc'' predecesso ...
''. His success brought him command of ''
Jagdstaffel 23'' on 4 August 1917. He would run his victory tally to 20, downing his final victim using a captured British
Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...
on 20 May 1918. Nine days later, a crash while flying the Camel ended Kissenberth's combat career. His injuries were severe enough he was not returned to combat, instead being assigned to command
Schleissheim's flying school. Although Otto Kissenberth survived the war, he died soon after in a
mountaineering
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
accident on 2 August 1919.
Early life
Born in
Landshut
Landshut (; bar, Landshuad) is a town in Bavaria in the south-east of Germany. Situated on the banks of the River Isar, Landshut is the capital of Lower Bavaria, one of the seven administrative regions of the Free State of Bavaria. It is also t ...
, Bavaria, in 1893, Kissenberth studied at
Grenoble University
The Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA, French: meaning "''Grenoble Alps University''") is a public research university in Grenoble, France. Founded in 1339, it is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 resea ...
before completing an engineering degree in Munich and then working for the Gustav Otto aircraft works as a mechanical engineer.
[Franks et al 1993, pp. 143–144.]
Early aviation service
With his interest in aircraft design, Kissenberth joined the
''Fliegertruppe'' air service of the
German Army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
in 1914. After training as a reconnaissance pilot with ''Fliegerersatz-Abteilung'' (Replacement Detachment), or FEA 1 at Schleissheim, ''
Vizefeldwebel
''Feldwebel '' (Fw or F, ) is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia. The rank has also been used in Russia, Austria-Hungary, occup ...
'' Kissenberth was posted to
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
's
''Feld-Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 8b. On 21 March 1915, while on a
sortie
A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft, ship, or troops, from a strongpoint. The term originated in siege warfare. ...
over the
Vosges Mountains
The Vosges ( , ; german: Vogesen ; Franconian and gsw, Vogese) are a range of low mountains in Eastern France, near its border with Germany. Together with the Palatine Forest to the north on the German side of the border, they form a single ...
, he was
wounded in action
Wounded in Action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...
. Upon recovery, he joined another Bavarian unit, ''Flieger-Abteilung'' (Flier Detachment) 9b, on 8 July 1915, which was stationed at
Toblach
Toblach (; it, Dobbiaco ) is a ''comune''/''Gemeinde'' (municipality) in South Tyrol in northern Italy, located in the Puster Valley about northeast of the city of Bolzano, on the border with Austria.
Geography
As of November 30, 2010, it had ...
in the
Dolomite Alps
The Dolomites ( it, Dolomiti ; Ladin: ''Dolomites''; german: Dolomiten ; vec, Dołomiti : fur, Dolomitis), also known as the Dolomite Mountains, Dolomite Alps or Dolomitic Alps, are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form par ...
. The unit served in Italy, including a daring bombing raid on Cortina on 31 July 1915, as well as on the Vosges front.
[
]
Service as fighter pilot
In 1916, FA 9b morphed into ''Kampfeinsitzerkommando'' (Combat Single-Seater Command) KEK Einsisheim, as the German Army struggled to find a tactical formation for its fighters. While flying with ''KEK E'', Kissenberth was credited with his first three victories on 12 October. An Anglo-French bombing raid of some three French squadrons, 26 aircraft from the Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
, and a contingent of four from the Lafayette Escadrille
The La Fayette Escadrille (french: Escadrille de La Fayette) was the name of the French Air Force unit escadrille N 124 during the First World War (1914–1918). This escadrille of the ''Aéronautique Militaire'' was composed largely of Ameri ...
attacked the Mauser Rifle Works at Oberndorf am Neckar
Oberndorf am Neckar (; Swabian: ''Oberndorf am Näggô'') is a town in the district of Rottweil, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated on the river Neckar, north of Rottweil. It historically was and currently is a major center of t ...
. Kissenberth blunted the assault, downing two of the invaders on his first sortie, and another on his next one. It was a feat worthy of Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...
's Friedrich Order
The Friedrich Order (german: Friedrichs-Orden or ''Friedrichsorden'') was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on 1 January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, Kin ...
, Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...
's Order of the Zähringer Lion
The Order of the Zähringer Lion was instituted on 26 December 1812 by Karl, Grand Duke of Baden
, house = Zähringen
, father = Charles Louis, Hereditary Prince of Baden
, mother = Landgravine Amalie of Hesse-Darmstadt ...
, and the Bavarian Military Merit Order.[VanWyngarden 2006, pp. 85–88.]
Kissenberth would not score again until 26 May 1917. ''KEK E'' formed the basis for a new fighter squadron
A squadron in air force, army aviation, or naval aviation is a unit comprising a number of military aircraft and their aircrews, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, dependi ...
, Royal Bavarian ''Jagdstaffel 16
Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 16 was a "hunting group" (i.e., fighter squadron) of the ''Luftstreitkräfte'', the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I.
History
Royal Bavarian Jagdstaffel 16 was founded from two ''ad hoc'' predecesso ...
''. As a member of'' Jasta 16b'', he downed two SPADs and flamed a balloon during Summer 1917, bringing his count to six. Kissenberth was transferred to command of Royal Bavarian '' Jasta 23'' on 4 August 1917. He thus became one of the few flying aces — along with pioneering fighter pilot, ''Leutnant'' Kurt Wintgens
''Leutnant'' Kurt Wintgens (1 August 1894 – 25 September 1916) was a German World War I fighter ace. He was the first military fighter pilot to score a victory over an opposing aircraft, while piloting an aircraft armed with a synchronized mac ...
— to wear spectacles
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses or spectacles, are vision eyewear, with lenses (clear or tinted) mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically utilizing a bridge over the nose and hinged arms (known as temples o ...
in air combat.[
Kissenberth usually flew an ]Albatros D.V
The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatro ...
with a yellow and white Edelweiss
EDELWEISS (Expérience pour DEtecter Les WIMPs En Site Souterrain) is a dark matter search experiment located at the Modane Underground Laboratory in France. The experiment uses cryogenic detectors, measuring both the phonon and ionization signals ...
insignia painted on its fuselage. He scored over a dozen victories with this aircraft, although his twentieth and final victory on 20 May 1918 came while flying a captured Sopwith Camel
The Sopwith Camel is a British First World War single-seat biplane fighter aircraft that was introduced on the Western Front in 1917. It was developed by the Sopwith Aviation Company as a successor to the Sopwith Pup and became one of the b ...
. On the evening of 29 May 1918, he was seriously injured when he crashed this British fighter. After convalescence, he did not return to his squadron. Instead, he served as commanding officer of the Schleissheim flying school until the end of the war.[
]
Death
On 2 August 1919, Kissenberth was killed in a mountaineering
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
accident in the Bavarian Alps.[
]
Sources of information
References
* Franks, Norman; Bailey, Frank W.; Guest, Russell. ''Above the Lines: The Aces and Fighter Units of the German Air Service, Naval Air Service and Flanders Marine Corps, 1914–1918''. Grub Street, 1993. , .
* VanWyngarden, Greg. ''Early German Aces of World War I.'' Osprey Publishing, 2006. , .
External link
Otto Kissenberth page at the aerodrome.com
Retrieved 25 October 2020
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kissenberth, Otto
1893 births
1919 deaths
German World War I flying aces
Luftstreitkräfte personnel
Military personnel of Bavaria
People from the Kingdom of Bavaria
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class)
Technical University of Munich alumni